The Empath
by avikar
Summary: Fear. Violence. The need for shelter. Anger. Lust. Rage. Thirst. Love. Happiness. Sadness. Depression. Hunger. All of these emotions, these primal instincts, were rushing through my head, each one consuming me. Would it never end!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. James Patterson does, and if you ask me, which you didn't, he's a very, very, very lucky man.

Fear. Violence. The need for shelter. Anger. Lust. Rage. Thirst. Love. Happiness. Sadness. Depression. Hunger. All of these emotions, these primal instincts, were rushing through my head, each one consuming me. When I used to be human, I never knew that there could be so many emotions in a person, so many needs and urges. But of course, that was before I was taken to the school. When I had the emotional range of a teaspoon.

It was a beautiful day when I was taken. But like many teenagers, I was too wrapped up in my exams to notice. It was the month before school ended, and I was studying for the end-of-the-year-exams. The exams would decide if I would move on, or stay behind. I was studying like crazy, absorbed in my calculus as if it were water and I was dehydrated. That's when it happened.

I'd always known Tony was creepy, the type of guy who'd turn out to be a mugger after a year of friendship. I'd always thought that it was probably the way he grinned at me, as if I was just a plaything. But nothing could have prepared me for how creepy he actually was.

I had almost figured out one of the most complex problems when he stole my books. My head snapped up and I stared in shock at the sight before me. In place of regular, creepy Tony, there was non-regular, wolf-like, and creepy Tony. Now that I think about it, I should have bolted the minute I saw him. But of course my curious-cat side had to stay and see what in the world had happened to Tony. Ah well. Curiosity killed the cat.

"Hey babe, now's not the time to be studyin'." I blinked in surprise at his rough gravelly voice. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought that he hadn't spoken in decades. But like I said, I knew better than that.

"Tony… is that really you?"

"Of course babe, who were you expectin'? Some wimpy guy? Oh well, now's about the time you got up and got in my truck. I got some… friends who want to see ya." Now, every sane person out there knows better than to get into a stranger's truck. Especially if they were some creepy guy who looked like a wolf. Unfortunately, I'm not sane. At least, not when it comes to matters like these. So my reaction was to get up and look inside his truck's windows. Now, that was mistake number uno, kids.

Before I could run away, I was grabbed up, slung into his truck, and had the door locked on me. I beat the windows with my fist, shouting at him to let me out, and if this was a trick I was going to kick his butt from here to Alaska. Or Norway, whichever he preferred. He just shook his head at me, amused at my bravery. Or at least I think he was amused. He might have been seeing hallucinations. Or maybe he had gas? But that wouldn't explain the amusement in his eyes.

Tony jumped in his truck. I backed up until I was at the other side of his car. I was scared now, actually, I was frightened out of my wits, frightened of his smile, the bag in his hands, and the rotting-meat-smell that came from his truck. I wouldn't have been surprised if I wet myself right then. But I didn't, because I have such a strong bladder. Yay for me.

"Tony! What are you doing! Let me go! I'm going to call the police!" I screamed, cringing as he came closer to me.

"No, you're not going to do that, babe. I destroyed your phone yesterday. And why would I let you go? My friends are really, _really _anxious to see you." He muttered softly. I shivered.

"Don't make me punch you!" It was a ridiculous threat. I couldn't punch my way out of a cardboard box, and he was really strong. I could tell that by looking at his muscled stomach.

"You won't do that, now will you? I might have to hurt you, and my friends would be mad at me. Just let me put this bag over your head quietly, and you'll make it easier on yourself. You'll also be able to see your parents again, someday." I froze. He was threatening me and my parents!

Seeing my frozen, disbelieving expression, he quickly yanked the bag on my head and tightened the string. My first reaction was to start hyper-ventilating. Bad idea. I inhaled the sickly sweet scent, and before I knew it I was out like a light. The last things I could sense before slipping into unconsciousness was the feeling of my hands being tied together with rope, and a voice whispering promises in my ear, saying I was "going to have a heck of a time" with my new wings. Oh no.

AN- I hope you liked it! I know I shouldn't be doing another story, but this one popped into my mind and wouldn't leave!

Brownies for reviewers,

White Wolf, Aqua Horse, and Aurora Akira,

avikar


	2. Happy Cheese comes from Happy Cows

Disclaimer: Like everyone else on this site, I don't own Maximum Ride.

I woke up on a metal table, restraints at my wrists, ankles, and belly. There was a blinding light above me, probably a lamp. The smell of antiseptic burned my nose. I could hear nothing but the light snores of something. I turned my head to the side (with some difficulty, my neck was pretty sore) and saw a man in a white coat, sleeping. Suddenly he jumped out of his seat with a start. As he was brushing off his coat, he looked over at me and said,

"Ah, I see you're awake. How are you feeling?" I just stared at him, not feeling like answering. He started growing nervous, twiddling his thumbs, smoothing his hair, waiting for me to answer. When it finally got to much for him to bear he asked,

"Well? Answer the question."

"How do you think I feel? I feel peachy. Like I just drank five gallons of caffeine and soda." I rasped out. Gosh, my throat hurt a lot. The guy-in-a-white-coat (or GIAWC) looked at me shocked. Did he actually believe me? He's probably never heard of sarcasm before. Poor GIAWC.

"Not really. I feel like I've been run-over by a semi with a hundred obese elephants on it. And this time I'm serious." I only said that cuz' I'm sorry for him. I mean, come on! Not understanding sarcasm? That's a pretty sheltered life. GIAWC nodded.

"That's to be expected. Experiment T-0-N-1 wasn't careful with you." I looked at him confused. He cleared his throat.

"You know him as "Tony"." Ah. I see.

"So how's Mr. Creepy-Wolf-Guy doing? I hope he feels bad."

"He is doing fine, fortunately. He still needs to do some tests though." I frowned. In all the movies I had ever seen, the bad guys don't give out information this freely. But then again, those are the movies where the bad guys carry Tommy Guns and shoot you before you can speak. Not look absolutely wimpy and nerdy and wear a white coat.

"Ah. Too bad. So now, Mr. GIAWC, what am I here for?" Yep, that's me. Straight to the point. A proud, young bloviator.

"You're here for a top secret experiment. Now, be quiet and don't make any fuss. I'll be back with my boss so we can start it." Ooh… Now I get to meet the Big Cheese! Mmmm… cheese… Wait a second, why is my mind wandering so much? And how come I'm seeing cheese tap-dancing around a big, sweaty cow? Oh no! I'm hallucinating!

"Wait! Why am I hallucinating right now? I mean you're not really a cow, are you? That'd be weird. I mean, what cow wears a white coat? Happy cheese comes from happy cows! Are you a happy cow?" GIAWC stared as I rambled on about cows and cheese. Finally, after at least fifteen minutes of cheese talk, I started nodding off. GIAWC looked relieved as he practically ran out of the door. I must have scared him.

Another fifteen minutes later, he returned. I was surprised that I had lasted this long without falling unconscious. So did he. I watched silently as a woman stepped out from the shadows. Literally. She had luscious blond hair that was striped with purple and in a messy bun. Her glasses were purple too. They hid mesmerizing eyes the color of a meadow. Her form was curvy and well-developed, so she was probably around her mid-twenties. Her face was smooth, without emotion.

"Hello experiment Empathy. Are you hallucinating still?"

"No, not anymore. I think I scared your guy there. Is he okay?" I think they must have injected me with some truth serum, or something because normally I would have been cracking dumb jokes left and right. Now I felt… mellow. Like someone could be murdered in front of me and I wouldn't do anything. It felt horrible.

"Yes, Stan here is alright. But are _you_ alright? We wouldn't want you to feel bad during the experiment." So they _are_ doing an experiment. I wonder why?

"I'm fine. There's no pain. I just feel very mellow. Did you inject me with something? And what is this experiment you keep on talking about?"

"I'm glad you feel well. And yes, we did inject you with something so you wouldn't panic. That's why you had those hallucinations. Now that we have that over with, could you please turn your head to the other side?" I complied with her words meekly, not even feeling suspicious that my question was avoided. Suddenly I stiffened as I felt a needle in my neck. My neck was limp as the woman turned my head towards her.

"Experiment Empathy, I am the Director. I am the boss of Itex, a revolutionary company. We're changing the world, making it a better place, and we have chosen you to help. You will help us purge this world of evil. But for now, you will train, and train hard at that. You will never disobey orders you are given, and you will respect your superiors. You will not be foolish and emotional, for you will control emotions with logic. Is that clear?" I just stared at her. I wasn't going to answer her, because even in this state, I could tell that what she said was a door to evil. She grew irritated until, finally, she slapped my face. My head hit the other side of the table and I could feel unconsciousness slipping up on me. I watched with dread as she pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it.

"Sector Seven, Experiment Empathy is ready. Bring ter Borcht!"

AN- Yay! I feel all fluffy inside, cuz' I got reviews! Oh, and I'll admit that this chappie wasn't as fuuny as the others. Oh well, it's the best I can do right now.

Angel of the Black Death- Yeah, I agree with you.

aviator301- Yes, Max and the Flock will be in this fic. I mean, it's not a Maximum Ride fic without Max, right?

ElvinDragon- I'm glad you think I'm funny!

Many, many, many brownies to the reviewers,

White Wolf, Aqua Horse, and Aurora Akira,

avikar


	3. Cheese Man!

Disclaimer- I do not own Maximum Ride. I feel sorry for me.

What followed after the Director calling ter Borcht was very, very painful. When ter Borcht arrived, he arrived in style. He had about ten other GIAWCS and about fifteen wolf-man things. He sneered when he saw me.

"Vell, what do ve have here?" He looked at a clipboard, and pause. If it was even possible, his sneer grew bigger.

"Vhat do you know? It's Experiment Empathy. Are you enjoying your visit here?"

"As much as you'll like that diet you'll have to go on fatty. I mean, lay off the doughnuts!" I chuckled as I saw his face get red. I had obviously struck a nerve.

"Never mind! Prepare ve syringe! Erasers, hold her limbs! Get ve machine's hooked up!" I paled as I saw the large needle they were going to stick in me. I'd had always had a phobia of needles for some reason. I started jerking around, trying to get free. The 'erasers' were holding down my arms and legs as they had been told to. Ter Borcht approached me as two GIAWCS cleaned a place on my arm. He looked at me with unconstrained glee as he stuck the thing in. I jackknifed as the pain, which felt like liquid fire, rushed through my veins.

"I hope you liked that you little insolent varmint. Take her to her cage!" I barely even registered it as ter Borcht shouted over my screaming. Two erasers picked me up and carried me through a hallway that was painted a brilliant white. It seared my eyes.

It felt like I could see and understand everything, yet I was in a pain-induced haze. I could spot miniscule cracks in the wall, could hear a small mouse scurrying behind the wall, could feel every single hair on the eraser's arm poking me. It was horrible, even worse than being mellow.

I was still screaming as they took me into a room. The erasers dropped me on the floor, and I screamed bloody murder. The erasers worked quickly, unlocking the cage and throwing me in as my screams escalated in pitch. I could feel millions of eyes on me, each curious, foreboding. I felt the confusion, the relief from them that they weren't going through this. Suddenly, the pain stopped. I looked down to see a needle sticking from my arm, and then slumped to the ground.

* * *

I woke up inside the same cage I had been dumped in. I was glad that, for the moment, there was no pain. But of course I had to be glad too soon. My eyes started watering as I felt many emotions being dumped on me. I'd never felt some of them, and some of them were far too familiar. Finally, after about half of an hour later, the pain dimmed enough for me to uncurl from the fetal position I had assumed.

Looking around, I could see many other dog cages. But it was what was in the cages that scared me. There were little children that were so mutated you couldn't even tell they were little children, except from the little plaques on the cages. There was a boy in the cage next to mine who had big boils all over his body that would occasionally would pop and release a foul smelling pus. I thought I even saw, in the dim light provided, that there was a baby eraser that had extra limbs on it. It scared me even worse then all the things that had happened to me so far.

Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to escape the tests for much longer. Two GIAWCS came by and unlocked my cage. I just stared holes in them.

"Well, come on Experiment Empathy, it's time for your tests." I cringed against the bars on the other side of the cage. The GIAWCS made cooing noises, that made them look ridiculous. When it became obvious I was not coming, they just called up some erasers. The erasers big meaty hands grabbed me roughly and they pulled me out, kicking and screaming. Literally. I'm pretty sure that one eraser will have the bruise I gave him till he dies.

They took me to pure white room. I was starting to get tired of the constant white color. Ter Borcht was there, along with the Director. Ooh, I think I just saw Cheese Man (The first GIAWC). When everyone got settled down, the Director stood up.

"As almost all of you know, my mother was the former Director. It was she who founded Itex in the hope of making the world a better place. It was also she who was defeated by the flock. The flock is the reason we have little money or time to make new experiments. It's been two years since the Fall of Itex, but now is the time we shall rebuild Itex to it's former glory, and this experiment here will help us. Experiment Empathy will infiltrate the flock and be our spy. She will help us revolutionize the world."

AN- Okay, this wasn't even that funny! Oh well.

Brownies for the reviewers,

White Wolf, Aqua Horse, and Aurora Akira,

avikar


	4. Viva La Revolution!

Disclaimer- I wish I owned Maximum Ride, but I don't. JP does and he's very lucky.

I seriously expected a cry of "Viva la Revolution" to come from the Director's speech. I mean, if I worked for Itex I would have been jumping all over the place, inspired. But instead I was stuck here watching the Director give a speech, waiting to be experimented on. The erasers were looking at me hungrily, like I was some chew toy, and the GIAWCS were staring at me like I was a messiah or something. Especially Cheese Man. I mean, he was starting to creep me out, the way his eyes almost popped out of his head.

"Now that we have that over, erasers! Take Experiment Empathy to the Room." Ooh, scary. The Room of what? I mean it could have been scarier if they named it, say, the Room of Torture and Cheese! Okay, I gotta stop it with the cheese thing. But anyways, the erasers took me to a big door. It had multiple locks on the outside of its metal exterior and had at least five bars crossing it. Definitely a forbidding, morbid type of door. The erasers unlocked it lock by lock, only going fast if they were urged on by a passing GIAWC.

Finally they finished unlocking it. They opened the door slowly and tendrils of mist curled out, snaking around my feet. The erasers gestured me in, and when I didn't go, pushed me in, shoving the door shut. I was immediately greeted by a gruesome sight. There were corpses strewn throughout the room, some new and some decaying. There were bleached bones scattered around that had numerous bite marks on them. But that wasn't what held my attention. What held my attention was a squatting body, a person-or thing- that was alive.

AN-I'm sorry this is so short, but it's all I'm able to get out today. But lucky for you guys, I have tomorrow off from school!

ElvinDragon-This is not, I repeat, not Max I'm talking about. It's an OC that I will explain later. But thanks for asking a question, you get a double-chocolate brownie. Only reviewers with questions get that.

black-venom-heart-Who exactly is your friend? Ah well, never mind. I'm just glad she/he liked any part of my story!

Thanks for the support and brownies for the reviewers,

White Wolf, Aqua Horse, and Aurora Akira,

avikar


	5. Ahkrah, bringer of death

Disclaimer: Why must you torture me so much! I already admitted it! I don't own Maximum Ride!

It was a human/serpent mix. It had emerald green scales that rustled when it moved, and bright, hypnotic aqua eyes were half-lidded, making it look asleep. It had a tail coming from its behind and a forked tongue that flickered out into the air, along with a slit nose It was standing over its current meal, the grisly remains of some experiment. Then it sensed me. Looking in my direction, it slithered forward. I gagged as the stench of death rushed towards me. This was obviously my test, but did they expect me to survive? I didn't.

"Are you my new prey? You ssssmell very tasssty…" Its voice sounded like death itself. And if you think that was a perfectly normal sentence, you should reread it.

"What are you!" I whispered. Its eyes snapped wide open for some reason and stared at me.

"I am the Ahkrah, bringer of death. And you are my next meal…" If possible, my eyes widened. But even through the panic and fear I felt, there were feelings of satisfaction. At least I was going to go out in an unusual way, with a bang. Or at least, so I thought. Before Ahkrah could strike, a voice came on the speaker.

"Ahkrah, she's not your meal. Go easy on her." Ahkrah hissed in displeasure. I was profoundly relieved. At least I wouldn't die.

The relief washed away as quickly as it had come when Ahkrah turned to me. His eyes were wide open and staring at me. I felt unknown emotions rush through me at the sight of them. I felt the need to hunt, to track, to rip into living flesh and watch my victim suffer. I felt the need to watch my prey suffer, knowing they had failed before they died. But I also felt the urge to obey the Voice that magically came on and off.

That all ended as soon as Ahkrah moved to strike. His tail raised in the air, and with a _crack_ it whipped right past me. I crouched down, thinking he would do it again. And I was right. He kept whipping at my feet, making me dance like a ballerina to avoid getting hit. I was tiring quickly, but what helped was the rush, the exhilaration I felt whenever I looked in Ahkrah's eyes. It rejuvenated me enough to keep me going longer than I would have normally gone. But like all things, it had to end.

I finally got slow enough that Ahkrah was able to hit me. I was blown back against the wall by the force of the blow. I stayed down, for I had no energy to get up. Just with _one_ blow, Ahkrah had defeated me. If I hadn't experienced it myself, I wouldn't have believed it.

Cheese Man, or as I now like to call him, Blue Cheese Man rushed into the room before Ahkrah could kill me. Even if he was a little too eager to pick me up, I was still grateful to him for getting me out of that snake pit. Various GIAWCS came up and forced some drink and water down my throat. I was forced to swallow, even if I didn't want to. After that, they took me back to my cage.

* * *

A day later, the GIAWCS were back. They brought erasers who got me out of my cage and took me to a small white room. It looked exactly like the one where I had woken up, except this time there were numerous chairs in it, making it crowded. They strapped me down to the table. Blue Cheese Man called in some other GIAWCS and the Director, who was looking pleased with herself. She walked up to my side and said, 

"Experiment Empathy, we have decided to upgrade you. Even with your first upgrade aiding you, you were unable to defeat Ahkrah. So now, you will have Avian DNA mixed into yours." Wait a second, what first upgrade? And what's Avian DNA? I couldn't ask these questions though, because two erasers had gagged me. And for good reason.

I hadn't noticed it, but a GIAWC had cleaned off a section of my arm while the Director distracted me with her talk. Then Blue Cheese Man walked up and, with no ceremony at all, plunged two needles in my arm. I tried jackknifing, but the restraints stopped me. The gag also muffled my screams somewhat, even though I was shouting bloody murder. The pain was even worse than my first shot, this time it felt like hot lava was boiling its way through my veins and arteries. I could literally _feel_ myself grow taller. Then the real pain started.

If I had thought that the pain from before would have been the worst in my life, I was wrong. Dead wrong. It felt like that lava from before had grown hotter and it was all focusing on my shoulder blades. This time, even the gag couldn't muffle my screams. I was flaing every single body part I could, and the erasers were thrown off. Then I snapped off the restraints, which came as a surprise to all since they were pure metal. I vaulted off the table and ran through the door, erasers and GIAWCS following me with tranquilizer guns. I was able to get outside before they caught up with me, and even then I was screaming. I suddenly felt an instinct telling me to unfurl something. And without thought, I unfurled wings.

They were gorgeous. I had a 14 ft. wingspan, and I could feel the muscles working in them, flapping them around. They were maroon of the deepest shade, almost brown, and were striped with black, along with actual brown spots. Of course, life just had to move along not give me enough time to appreciate them. I was dog piled by the erasers and shot at least fifteen times in my legs before I hit the ground. I sank into unconsciousness as the erasers picked me up and hurried through the halls.

AN-Well, I found that strangely morbid. But seriously, that was my first action scene here, and I want to know what you think!

aviator301- I have finally decided how and when the flock will come into play. It's in Ch.#7. Thanks for reviewing and supporting me!

Angel of the Black Death- Read the above review reply.

ElvinDragon- Thanks for the Blue Cheese Man thing, it helped me out.

Thanks for the support, and brownies for the reviewers (double chocolate for those with questions) ,

White Wolf, Aqua Horse, and Aurora Akira,

avikar


	6. The bringer of death has fallen

Disclaimer: I do not claim Maximum Ride. I only claim the story plot and Experiment Empathy. And the new and improved Omega. So no stealing.

Before I had been kidnapped, I had had a good life. Not great, but good enough to make me content. My name had been Tanya Watson, and I was 16. My hair was bright red, and I had normal green eyes. I had two parents, a sister, and three brothers. My house had enough room for us, and it was two-story. My family had been medium-class, and lucky enough to escape a lot of problems. We were Christian, and did nothing big, like go to church regularly. My school was Pondlen Junior High, and I was a good student with A's and B's. I had a nice group of friends, and we were part of the normal crowd.

But the second I had been captured, I changed. I had changed into Experiment Empathy, an experiment with brown hair and rainbow eyes. I was taller and leaner, and I had lost a lot of weight. My bones were now light and I had air sacs. I gained raptor vision, and fast reflexes. My abilities, you ask? Well, just look at my name and they become obvious. I was an Empath, or a person who feels what you feel, and can change the way you feel. That was my first upgrade, the Avian DNA the second upgrade.

Most people I know would have killed to get what I had. But if I could, I would give my abilities and looks away in an instant. My abilities made me feel what whoever I was with was feeling. My looks made me recognizable. I mean, not a lot of people have rainbow eyes and are really tall, right? Right.

After a few more weeks of pain-filled days, the pain went away, and I was taken to a cell. I now was much more important. The GIAWCS took me to fight erasers everyday, and I grew stronger, faster, and smarter. But I was still not good enough to take on Ahkrah, the GIAWCS decided. They thought that until I could control my abilities, I was no good. And they were right.

Okay, say I'm in a fight with an eraser. I'm doing a complicated attack, and suddenly I look into the eraser's eyes. Then I'm overwhelmed with the raw emotions that they're feeling. While I'm distracted with that, they are able to defeat me. It irritates the GIAWCS to no end. After a few fights like this, they decide to pair me up with Experiment Omega, otherwise known as Wonder Boy, or Mr. No Emotions.

The minute he entered my ability radius, I felt calm for the first time in months. It turns out that when I'm near him, his no-emotions thing dominates all other people's or eraser's emotions. But it doesn't make me have no emotions, it just makes me calm. That was why I worked well with him. For some reason, after a long period of time with him, I'm able to control my ability more, and retain my calm. It worked so well in fact, the Director gave the order that I was to move into his cell, which was pretty big.

The first night there, I was extremely nervous about sleeping in a room with a boy. But it turned out all that nervousness was for nothing. I was able to change in this huge Master Bathroom and then, when it was time to sleep, Omega dropped off like a rock. He was just told to fall asleep, and he obeyed that order. I fell asleep soon after because one, I was exhausted, and two, Omega doesn't snore. I'm so used to having snoring males around me, (ex. My house, the Cage Room.) that I was surprised, but grateful.

I still hated the School, as I found that place was called, but Omega made it easier to bear. I constantly was alert around him, trying to pick up at least one emotion. So when the occasional emotion came through, I felt like having a party. I think I must have had some effect on him, because I started to feel more emotions coming from him after a period of time. Emotions like pride, for when I or him overcame some obstacle, anger, for when he or I did something very wrong, or annoyance, for when I or the erasers bothered him for long enough. We became fast friends somehow, and I was glad. Our bond grew stronger, until one day the Director found out about it. She saw how we worked better when we were together, and ordered some experiment to be performed on us.

It turned out that she wanted to give us a mental link. On the day of the experiment, we were both chained up, and a syringe full of some liquid was plunged into both our bodies. The agony wasn't so bad, because the minute it entered our bloodstreams, the drug started working. We were able to share our pain, and comfort the other. A week after that, we were able to know where the other was, and we could talk in our heads. I was sure now that I had changed him. I was feeling more emotions coming from him than ever before. And now, I was able to tell him more about me, without fear of him growing cold and stopping our friendship.

The Director was thrilled. We were both exceeding expectations. She decided that since I had wings, Omega deserved them too. The day that he was given Avian DNA, I was there in his head, and I was taking a lot of the pain away. After the DNA was given, he was taken back to our cell, where I was waiting. The pain had died down now, which surprised me. I had had to endure it longer, but maybe since I was there with him, taking a lot of the pain away, I had shortened the time of agony.

When he showed his wings to me, I was awed. He had a 15 ft. wingspan, larger than mine, and his wings were a silver-blue color. It looked like his feathers were outlined in grey, and they were slightly more narrow than mine. He was also taller, and he told me that he could tell he had air sacs. He said that he got a lot more oxygen now, and that he could feel his new strength. He also told me that when the Director saw how much better he was, she wondered aloud why she hadn't done this before. I was happy for him. The thing he wanted the most in his life was to know that he was the best in Itex. Besides me he would say after telling me that.

Since Omega had wings now, it was decided that we would learn to fly. They hadn't trusted me with that before, seeing as they knew I would try to escape. But, they reasoned, with Omega watching me as we flew, I would not be able to run away. Omega was still they're little rule-follower, after all.

The day that we learned to fly was the day I met Jeb Batchelder. The only reason he wasn't killed for treason against Itex when he was captured was the fact that he had taught Avian hybrids how to fly before. And he was the only one who knew how to do that. So we were led outside in the Chew Toy Yard (I named it that because all the experiments that go there end up as chew toys for the erasers) to meet a middle aged man with graying hair. He smelled like cologne and cinnamon. Which, in my book, is not a very good smell. He showed us how to take off, how to land, and how to go forward and backwards. He also taught us some neat tricks on how to save energy, like using air currents and not flapping so fast so we don't tire out. In addition, he was able to teach us how to angle our feathers or wings to go into dives or do hairpin turns. It was exhilarating, the adrenaline rush we felt from flying and doing big dives. Add that to the wind in our face, and you've got a good time.

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Of course, the day came when I had to go against Ahkrah again. The Director said that no time was better, and that Ahkrah was getting impatient. Before handing me over to the erasers, she whispered into my ear,

"I know you'll succeed. Omega is with you in your head, and you are now good enough to defeat Ahkrah. You will survive."

Even with her and Omega's reassurances, I was still afraid. Ahkrah had almost killed me that first day, and it was driven into me, the fear of him. As we approached the Snake Pit, as I had named it, I had half of a mind telling me to just escape right now, and the other half telling me to buck up, everything would be alright. It didn't help that much when Omega started thinking reassurances at me while my brain was having a war going on.

_Don't worry, Em, everything will be alright. You're definitely strong enough._ Ugh. Even though I was glad he called me my nickname, I still didn't like the fact that he sounded almost… happy that I was fighting Ahkrah.

_Are you happy I'm fighting Ahkrah? Cuz' it sure sounds like it._ I wondered how he would react.

_Of course not! I'm just… thinking that you've grown much stronger. You wouldn't have been able to fight Ahkrah in the weak state you were in earlier. _He thought that a little too fast at the start, but slowed down in his thinking. Even after all this time, he still didn't like saying he felt anything, even though I could feel his emotions.

_Ahh, that's so sweet. You've sure turned into a sentimental softie. Next thing I know, you'll be getting a cat and calling it Mr. Fluffikins. And then you'll breed Mr. Fluffikins with a pretty she-cat and have little baby Mr. Fluffikins. And then you'll give them cheese which they will eat and then die. Then you'll cry and go all suicide on me._ I could feel Omega give a mental smile.

_Interesting. You're still obsessed with cheese? I thought you got over that. _Grr… He makes me mad!

_Maybe… maybe not. I just might be going to cheese therapy… or I might not be. You'll never know! Oh, and tell Mr.Fluffikins and his family's deceased spirits that I said hi before I perished. _There's me and my weird sense of humor.

As we reached the Snake Pit's door, I got a sense of de já vu. Except for the fact that this time I was much better equipped. As the erasers opened the door, the mist tendrils rolled out again, but this time they brought the stench of death. I rushed in, not caring to wait anymore. I had decided to get this over with as quickly as I could.

Ahkrah was waiting for me, it turned out. I learned later that he had started obsessing over me because I was the first of his prey that had ever escaped. It was also recorded that he had kept on muttering under his breath how delicious I smelled to him, how I was the perfect prey.

He wasted no time in starting the fight. His whip-like tail coiled back, but before it could snap at me, I had rushed at him. I knocked him over, but before I was up, he had jumped up and cracked his tail at me. I rolled over, Ahkrah's tail pulverizing the stone where I had just been. I tripped his legs, chuckling under my breath as he fell down. I jumped up and kicked his side. He grabbed my foot and held it to his body. I watched in horror as he bared fangs that started dripping… wait was that acid! It was, and it burned a small part of my School uniform, which consisted of long, baggy pants and a loose-fitting shirt, both of which were black. Taking his chance, he started to move his fangs at my leg, obviously about to bite me. But luckily for me, I was faster. I kicked him in his face with my other foot, feeling very good as I bruised his reptilian face with my combat boots. I jumped back after that, not wanting to risk his fangs again. Ahkrah touched his face, looking confused. Obviously none of his victims had ever fought that much back.

"I sssee you are a very worthy treat… That is multiplied by the fact you sssmell sssoo very tasssty…" He looked straight into my eyes. I froze as his emotions swamped me. He started swaying side to side, his hypnotic eyes never leaving my face.

"_Run little one, close the door,_

_The bringer of death is here._

_It's too late to pray,_

_For the bringer of death is here._

_You shall never see the light of day again,_

_Because the bringer of death is here._

_Good night and goodbye, little one._

_The bringer of death is here."_

Still swaying, Ahkrah moved closer, humming his death song under his breath. I was frozen, unable to do anything. His song was running through my mind, clouding my thoughts, blinding my common sense and reason.

_Don't give up Em! Don't you dare give up Experiment Empathy! I command you to not give up! _Ahkrah's hold on me was broken as Omega, my best friend shouted in my mind. Ahkrah was a foot away from me, close enough for me to do something I had been saving in reserve.

"Goodnight ugly one!" And with that, I launched my foot at his head. Suddenly, everything seemed to go into slow-motion. I watched as the heel of my combat boot crushed into Ahkrah's temple, watched as the life left his eyes. But not before he uttered one thing.

"Goodnight and goodbye little one. The bringer of death has fallen." I crumpled up, unable to move as I watched silently the scene that played on from that. It felt like I was watching everything from outside my body. Blue Cheese Man rushed in, along with various GIAWCS to pick up Ahkrah's stiff and already cold body. After a few minutes, Omega rushed in. I saw pure and real emotion on his face. He was concerned, and truly glad I came out alive. After him walking calmly in, was the Director. She sized me up before saying,

"Take her to your cell. She's needs time to rest and relax. She also needs time to get over what has just happened." Omega nodded. He picked me up, and running out of the room in a flash, got me into our cell. He laid me down on the bed. I felt unconsciousness creeping up on my. With my last strength, I said one thing.

"The bringer of death has fallen."

AN-Holy Cow! This chapter surprised me, it came out of nowhere! And I love it! Please review on this chapter, which has been the longest fanfiction chapter I have ever written! Yay!

I feel all fluffy inside! Brownies for the reviewers,

White Wolf, Aqua Horse, and Aurora Akira,

avikar


	7. Blue Cheese Man's ghost is stalking me!

Disclaimer: I claim only Em, the new and improved Omega, and the story line. If you steal, I will hunt you down and sue the living daylights out of you.

The days after I defeated Ahkrah were bittersweet. It took me a few days to get over the fact that I had actually killed him and that I wouldn't have to be worried about him. And then it took another few days to get over the fact that I actually _killed_ something. I had wounded erasers, yes, but I had never actually killed. But after I got over that, I was fine. He hadn't wounded me that much, about which I was surprised, but it still took _another_ few days to get over my exhaustion. Then I was hailed as a hero. No one at the school actually liked Ahkrah, seeing as they could be his next victim. And no one had ever really fought back. So now I was "The Hero Empathy". I wonder if I should have gotten a cape?

Blue Cheese Man was even more obsessive now. To the point where I was sure he was stalking me. It freaked me out. I got freaked out enough to talk to Omega, something I would have never done. He advised me to talk to the Director, saying that he was her employee after all. I did as he said, but lo and behold, she hasn't seen him for a few days. When I relayed this information to Omega, via shouting in my mind that Blue Cheese Man's ghost was stalking me, he was just all nonchalance, saying that I shouldn't worry about it, and he even went as far as to suggest I was crazy! Okay, now I admit he didn't exactly say it… But he was implying it!

But what was the best thing during the days that followed you ask? My answer would be the fact that Omega now showed a lot more emotion, sometimes even an emotion in staggering amounts. We could talk more freely now, and he actually told me the worst thing that had ever happened to him in his life. He said it was at the Fall of Itex, when he was fighting the leader of the flock. He had been defeated by Max, and the days after that was when he started his obsession of truly being Wonder Boy, so someday he could defeat Max. But, he assured me, he was all over that. When I asked him what made him stop pursuing that dream, he said it was me. I blushed, not expecting that compliment. He went on to say that ever since we became friends, he was able to actually be Wonder Boy. Of course I had to grin and ask him,

"Where's your cape, Wonder Boy?" Omega just tackled me to the ground. Even after all the upgrades done on me, Omega was still stronger than me.

After about a year at the School, I was, in a sense, free. I was trusted much more now, and I had a lot more things to do. The Director actually gave Omega and I the power of commanding the erasers, if we wanted to. Added to that was the bonus of not having to worry about tests any more. Of course, one day that all came crashing down.

* * *

It was a normal day at the school. I had just finished sparring practice with Omega, and I was on my rounds about a section of the School. Upon hearing some erasers making a ruckus, I hurried there, thinking that two erasers were probably in a fight. I couldn't believe how wrong I was. 

The erasers were dragging the flock down the corridor! All the time at the School, I had daydreamed about escaping the School with the flock. Of course, I'd never thought that could come true. I walked up to them and decided to play rank on the erasers.

"What's going on here?" The erasers looked at me, and one stepped up. It was probably the spokesperson for them.

"We have captured the flock, Experiment Empathy. We were taking them to the Director." The flock was studying me curiously. I ignored them for now.

"Oh yes? Well I'll just take them off of your hands. I was heading for the Director when I heard you ugly boys." Okay, that was a lie. But they didn't need to know that, right? I laughed as I saw them bristle. Oh, how I loved irritating those puppies.

"No thank you, Experiment Empathy. We were taking care of it, after all."

"What's this? Are you undermining my authority? I didn't want to do this, but you pretty much left me no choice. Now you'll see why Omega's so twitchy when someone disobeys orders. And you know how he is. But… if you just hand them over, you won't get chased by Omega, and I'll be happy. Got that?" I watched with a grim smile as the erasers paled. Omega was known to love his power, and he got really touchy about anyone except the Director undermining our authority.

"Fine. But I warn you, you better watch your back. These bird brains are known for striking your unprotected backside."

"Is that true? Well, let's just say that I have a very protected backside." I grinned in triumph as the erasers handed them over to me. Success! The flock was looking at me like I was crazy. Who knows? Maybe I was.

"Well? Come on let's go. Might as well keep the show up." Okay, now I know they think I'm crazy. I started walking at a brisk pace. But not towards the Director. I was headed for my cell. The little girl, whose name I think is Angel, asked me a question.

"Where are we going? And who are you?" Okay, that was two questions, but oh well. I looked at her in surprise. From what I'd heard, she was supposed to be able to read minds.

"You're right, I can read minds. I just can't see in your mind where we are going." Oh! I knew why. I was not really thinking about how to get where we were going, or where we were going because. I instinctively knew those.

"We're going to my cell. If you're to get out, you'll need some help. Not to mention I'd like to get out of this place too." I swear, I've never seen eyes get as wide as the flocks' eyes. They looked surprised, and I didn't blame them. I stopped in front of my cell. I could tell Omega was in there. I took a deep breath, and I entered.

I was right. Omega was sitting on his bed, looking highly agitated. His eyes narrowed as he saw the flock enter in behind me.

"Well? Any explanation for this Em?" His use of my nickname was a good sign. I gulped.

_I'm escaping. That's all it is, simple and plain. That and I want you to come with me._ Omega jumped off his bed.

_Say what! You can't escape! This is our only life! _

_But it doesn't have to be that! We can escape, make ourselves a new life… we could be free! You wouldn't have to worry about being perfect or being Wonder Boy!_

_I have little problem with the idea of escaping, but… I just can't do it with them!_

_What is it with men and their pride! You can do it! Even if you have to focus on me the whole way or something, I can't do this without you!_ We were nose to nose, our heads pounding from the mental shout match. Omega sighed and backed off, turning away from me.

"I can't do it with them. You know that as well as I do." I walked up to him.

"Yes you can. If not for the chance of escape from this place, then for me. I still have Blue Cheese Man's ghost stalking me." Omega sighed.

"You can't prove that you know." I grinned. His saying that was submission.

"Yeah? Oh well, I'm still getting away from his haunting grounds. But now onto the serious stuff." I turned around to find the flock staring at us like we were psycho maniacs.

"What? You've never seen a mental shout match occur?" I was genuinely surprised.

"Oh well. As your probably thinking right now, we are not psycho maniacs. Or crazy. My name is Experiment Empathy, but you can call me Em. This here's Wonder Boy, but most of you have met him already. Or at least you met the old Omega." I looked at each of them. They looked skeptical.

"What, you don't think he's changed? He's a certified softie now, I can assure you. Just wait till you meet Mr. Fluffikins and his family!" I ducked as Omega tried whapping my head. Max stepped up to me.

"How do we know we can trust you? For all we know, when our backs are turned, you'll take out a knife and stab us."

"How do we know we can trust you? We can't. We just have to trust. After all, you guys are our ticket out of here." I looked at them pointedly. I then turned around and dove under my bed, searching for my lock-picking set that I had stolen from a GIAWC some time ago.

Multiple dust bunnies later, I emerged with it. After almost hacking my lungs out, (not a pretty sight, let me tell you) I handed it to Omega. He stared at me.

"What? You pick locks better than me." With a disgruntled look, he set about the task of unlocking the cuffs of his used-to-be-worst-enemies. I found a duffle bag, and raiding our little mini-fridge, filled it up with things that wouldn't spoil. I was humming Ahkrah's death song under my breath with the added addition of "The bringer of death has fallen" (what can I say, it calms me down) while skipping through the room. I was ecstatic, I had never in my wildest dreams believed I would escape with flock. Omega sent a withering stare at me. He was done unlocking the cuffs and stood tense by the door.

"Okay we're ready to go. Time for a trip through the vents!" The ceiling of the cell sloped upwards, and the vent shaft was at the top. I decided I might as well show them I have wings. Unfurling them, I jumped straight up and flapped my way there. Unscrewing the cover, I stuck my head in the shaft. It looked comfortable. I descended slowly to the ground, feeling self-conscious because of all the stares. I looked straight in the flock's faces and said,

"What?"

AN-I don't really like this chapter that much... But that's just me. Oh, and before you guys ask, the reason Max and the flock didn't escape is because they have these cuffs that shock them unless they're in the presence of an Itex official, and Em is an Itex official.

ElvinDragon-Of course I used it! It was too funny to pass up.

Angel of the Black Death- I found the last chapter creepy also. But it was so good!

I feel fluffy inside from reviews, and brownies for the reviewers,

White Wolf, Aqua Horse, and Aurora Akira,

avikar


	8. The bringer of death reborn

Disclaimer: We've gone through this already, right? So the why do you keep on bothering me!

"You have wings." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. The flock was eyeballing my wings. I furled them in, feeling self-conscious.

"Omega does too. The Director decided that if I had them he had to have them too." I nodded to Omega, who unfurled his wings. He was scowling, which I thought pretty much ruined the awesome-ness and majestic-ness of the situation. After a few minutes, he furled them in. I was about to speak when I caught a very strong wave of emotion.

Gasping, I crumpled to the floor. So much pain… it was hurting me just to keep my eyes open. Omega ran over. He looked at my face and asked,

"What are you picking up?" I shuddered.

"Pain, so much pain… bright lights and a life reborn…. Anger at me… the urge to hunt…" I shrieked. It felt like the Earth's molten core was in my blood, burning me… Suddenly it stopped. I gasped and stood up on shaky legs. And without missing a beat, I alerted everyone to something which had evaded my notice.

"They know we're escaping. They're getting the erasers right now, we have to go!" I jumped in the air and unfurling my wings, flew into the vent. I heard Omega curse and then rush up to follow me, along with the flock. I furled my wings in and started crawling through the vents. Just as the last of the flock got in, I heard an alarm. Waves after waves of emotions strong enough to get through my barriers were swamping me, but I kept on going.

After 10 minutes of long, sweaty crawling we got outside into the Chew Toy Yard. Unfortunately for us, what I had been hoping to avoid was out there. It was the Director, and what looked like all of the erasers in the School. And what shocked me most was that Blue Cheese Man stepped out from behind the Director.

"Well, well, well. It looks like the prisoners have decided to escape. And what's this? They've somehow persuaded Experiment Empathy and Experiment Omega to come with them? I expected Experiment Empathy, but Experiment Omega? I guess you do follow her everywhere. Not that you could disprove that. I mean, I followed her around all the time." I couldn't believe it. I had been right. Blue Cheese Man had been stalking me.

"See Omega? I told you he was stalking me. You owe me 5 bucks." I said to Omega. He just grinned as he replied.

"You were right about that part, but this isn't his ghost. So the bet's off."

"Dang. Oh well. You win some you lose some, right?" By now the Director looked irritated as she walked up to us.

"Experiments Empathy and Omega, I command you to stand sown. We will sort out your punishment after the erasers capture the flock." She watched us carefully for our reactions. I just smirked. Omega though, he was looking a little pale and sweaty. Seeing she couldn't persuade me, the Director turned to Omega.

"Experiment Omega, I gave you an order! You aren't disobeying, are you?" My eyes widened as I saw Omega shake his head as if trying to clear it. That little witch! She was using his one weakness, the fact that he couldn't obey an order. Well, I'll just have to take care of that. Without hesitation I entered Omega's mind.

_Omega, don't listen to her! You're a free man, or experiment, whatever you prefer. She can't boss you around!_

_But she's the Director… I'm trained to follow the Director's orders, you know that! _

_No she's not! Remember, you were only trained to obey the last Director, and she's the new Director! She. Does. Not. Control. You!_ Omega seemed to accept my logic, because he proudly lifted his head, looked the Director straight in the eye, and said,

"Up yours! You're not the real Director!" I grinned madly as he said that. That was sure to make her angry! It was like eating chocolate as I saw her purse her lips into a white line.

"After this ends, just remember I gave you a chance. Ahkrah!" I froze, my grin slipping off my face. It couldn't be! I had killed him!

"_Run little one, close the door. The bringer of death is reborn…_" My blood was slush in my veins now. Omega was frozen along with the flock (they were frozen because they had never heard Ahkrah before, lucky little experiments). It was like reliving my worst nightmares as I saw him slither out from his hiding place.

"Hello, my tasssty treat… Missss me?"

"Who could miss your ugly mug, Ahkrah? Well, except for the Director, seeing as she was the one who probably gave the order for you to be reborn." I amazed even myself with those words. Who'd have known that even during my worst nightmare come alive, I would have such a sharp tongue? Ahkrah just laughed, a sound that sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"It doesss not matter anymore, you are now mine… I will finally be able to consssume your flesssh…" I shook my head, making a clucking noise with my tongue.

"Don't you know, Ahkrah that I have stringy flesh? I mean, all avian hybrids do."

"That'sss not what the erasssersss sssaid… I think I'll trussst them about thisss matter." He moved forward and started swaying. Unconsciously, I started swaying too. It just got worse as he started singing his death song. His eyes held me in one spot, hypnotizing me.

Luckily for me, and unluckily for Ahkrah, he had forgotten the outside forces. While I was being hypnotized by Ahkrah, the erasers had started fighting the flock. Omega had to kill a few ereasers before he could get to me, but when he did, he was mad. He ran into Ahkrah, taking him down and freeing me from his hypnotism simultaneously. I watched for a few minutes as they fought, Omega slowly gaining the upper hand.

Suddenly I was grabbed from behind. A hand was put over my mouth, muffling my screams effectively. I bit the hand, and when it was taken away, I whipped around, ready to kick some major butt. I was shocked to say the least when I saw a ragged-looking Tony.

"Miss me babe? I can see why. You only got a pansy boy in your life now! Let's heat things up a bit…" I backed away, nervous as Tony advanced on me. To my ever-growing horror, I could feel lust coming off from him in tsunami-sized waves. I ducked as he suddenly lunged at me, and kneed him in his stomach. He grunted and jumped at me again, somehow managing to get my shoulder-length hair. He pulled and I cried out, feeling a few hairs break.. He pulled me up to him and pulled out a long knife, which he put at my throat.

"Stop!" He called out, and everyone obeyed. Omega and Ahkrah broke apart, each eyeing me. I heard the erasers stop fighting, and curiously enough, the flock stopped too. The Director stepped out from where she was hiding, and beckoning to Tony, said,

"Experiment T-0-N-1 give me Experiment Empathy." I could feel Tony's disappointment as he handed me over to the Director. Omega was looking ready to kill. He told me that even before I had been captured he had hated Tony. The flock was… well I couldn't tell what they looked like. I was getting weird emotions I had no name for from them, and their facial expressions weren't helping.

"This ends now. Ahkrah!" Ahkrah slithered up, looking very smug. Oh how much I wish I could wipe that look off his face.

"Give her the kiss of death." My eyes widened. Since he was crossed with poisonous snake DNA, I knew what was about to happen. Ahkrah was going to bite me.

AN-Oohh... I'm so bad. And I'm sorry that I'm not involving the flock so much right now, but it's hard to write them! And now for a special message: I'm having my first ever poll! Okay so here it is: I need to know whether I should make Tony an important person in this story, or if I should just have Omega kill him. You decide!

ElvinDragon-Thank you for that compliment!

OhMyGoshsickles-Thanks for reviewing!

I feel fluffy, and brownies for reviewers,

White Wolf, Aqua Horse, and Aurora Akira,

avikar

P.S.I finally figured out why I've been writing morbid stuff lately! Since I feel so fluffy inside from all the reviews I'm getting, my mind is making me write morbid stuff to balance it out! Genius! does genius dance


	9. Omega is not a pansy boy!

Disclaimer: We've been through this already!

I was shocked. Which is a mild way of putting it. From what I'd heard, Ahkrah had only given the kiss of death to two people, both of which were highly dangerous experiments that were out of control. Omega's eyes were darting all over the place. He was looking for some way to free me without getting me hurt. I think he figured out how, because I was sure I saw a mischievous glint in his eyes. Of course, when I thought that, I hadn't been prepared for what he actually did.

Omega put two fingers to his lips, and whistled a low melody. The Director looked at him, confused, as did everyone else. He kept whistling for a few more moments, until he was answered by the sound of cats wailing. And then the unthinkable happened.

Thousands of cats rushed out of the building and wasted no time in overrunning the Director and Tony. They bit her until she let me go, and I rushed out of her grip. Tony was facing the same punishment, as was Ahkrah. It was highly amusing to watch Ahkrah be defeated by cats. It went on to the point where the Director had to call everyone back.

"Retreat!" I thought she'd never shout those words. But the cats only let the erasers, the Director, and Ahkrah go. They kept Tony back. I looked at Omega to see his eyes tinged red. Uh oh. He was in Blood Rage. It was a defense mechanism in our bodies, and it was in all hybrids, especially the erasers. Blood Rage gave you a few minutes where you weren't exhausted, and during those minutes, your strength, reflexes, and healing rate were improved.

**"You're going nowhere, Experiment T-0-N-1. You will pay for taking Em from her home."** Did I mention the fact that you get this really scary, echoing voice? You also get really protective of friends and family.

Tony, even though he was probably scared out of his wits, was still an experiment. He had a natural instinct in him to fight, and to him, Omega probably just posed as a challenge for his fighting skills.

"Ya? Well make me, pansy boy. I bet you won't be able to land a punch!" Ooh… Tony definitely was going to join the dead. Cuz' no one calls Omega pansy boy and gets away with it. Not to mention the fact that his fighting skills were insulted! This was going to be very interesting.

Omega just snorted, and started circling Tony. Tony also started circling, and soon I was getting a little dizzy. Finally, a move was made. Tony lunged at Omega, but Omega just went to the side, and I could hear him laughing in his mind. He kicked Tony in the side and stepped back. Tony jumped up, his flaming red cheeks showing his embarrassment. Oh YEAH! I was grinning like a mad woman.

Tony lunged again, this time looking ready for when Omega stepped aside. He stepped aside too, but Omega was way ahead of him. With a knee to the stomach, and a fist for the face, Tony was down again.

Of course, he didn't stay down for long. Tony morphed, and standing right in front of me was an eraser with a sleek and shiny black pelt that covered bulging muscles. Omega wasn't surprised though. He just whistled the same low, haunting melody from before. The cats seemed to pop out of nowhere, though. With a sharp note in the melody, the cats rushed forward and attacked.

Even with his bulging muscles, Tony was no match for the waves of cats that attacked him. He was buried under them, under a literal cat-pile. After at least 15 minutes, the cats got off of him. Tony's body was scratched up, and everyone there could tell he was on his last breath. He looked up at me and said,

"Too bad you won't see your parents again, babe. They were killed the day after I captured you." And with that, Tony, or Experiment T-0-N-1 died. There was a pressing silence after that. I picked up a cat, and said the only thing I could think of to say to that.

"Wow! Who knew Mr. Fluffikins could breed so fast?"

AN- Okay, who was expecting that? I sure wasn't. But the unanimous vote was to kill off Tony, so I did! In the most creative way possible. And I bet all you Tony-haters out there are partying!

ElvinDragon- I was surprised when I came up with that arguement, but I'm glad someone else besides me has decided it was a good one!

aviator301- Thanks! And now party because Tony is dead! Long-live the Tony-haters!

OhMyGoshsickles-I see what you're talking about, that is funny! Join the party!

TopazEyedGirl- Join the party of the Tony-haters! Oh, and don't feed the cats cheese. We don't need Omega going all suicidal on us.

I'm partying with the Tony-haters, and brownies for reviewers (even you anonymous ones) ,

White Wolf, Aqua Horse, and Aurora Akira,

avikar


	10. Steak is for hunger!

Disclaimer: If you lawyers still don't get the fact I don't own Maximum Ride, then you need some serious help.

Everyone stared at me.

"That's the only thing you can say to being told your parents are dead?" Omega looked at me quizzically. I shrugged. The cat in my arms just stared up at Omega, and I was sure there was something like respect in it's gaze.

"That and two more questions. One, how can you control cats? And two, is this Mr. Fluffikins, or his son?" More stares. Gosh, the stares were getting annoying! I'm sure my irritated manner got to them, because everyone looked away. I bet it was my powers, but I like to think that my facial expression.

"Well, the cats are genetically enhanced. The Director assigned them to me." I looked up at him. He had spat out the Director's name, and was looking troubled. I giggled.

"I bet you asked her to assign them to you. You probably said that you needed your lonely man cats." Omega glared at me. I couldn't help it, but the giggles soon turned into laughs that were almost hysterical. I got up unsteadily when I was done laughing. Omega understood why I was laughing. I couldn't get a grip on what I had just been told, and needed to let it all out. And this was the only thing that allowed me to let it out without involving me running away and getting myself lost, hurt, or worse, captured and taken back to the School.

"Well, now that that's over, I suggest we get as far away from here as we can manage," I started out. "If Max says that's alright." I added that at the end, because from what I'd learned at the school, Max was the leader. Said leader looked up at me briefly, and nodded, going back to the bandage she was tying on to the little girl's (Angel, I believe) arm. After that was done, she stood up.

"Up and Away!" The young members of the flock flew up first, followed by the older ones. Omega and I were last, giving each other a look that said to look for trouble. I started running, and with a jump, was up in the air. I relished the air rushing past my face, cooling my hot face.

Omega and I, strangers of the flock, assumed the back positions of the formation the flock made. I started doing loop-de-loops, dives, and more of your typical aerial maneuvering. I needed the rush, the exhilaration, to lose myself. My parents were gone, and that realization was finally setting in. The people who had produced me, had nurtured and loved me all of my life, were gone. That, and my brothers, my annoying, smelly, dirty bothers were gone too. Zall of them murdered by the people I had been staying with for the past year. Harsh.

* * *

Later that evening, we settled down in a small copse of trees. To me, they smelled lemony-scented mixed with something that smelled like it was burned, rotted, and decaying. To the others, it was just a plain old patch o' trees, though. Weird didn't even begin to describe it, and it got to where my sinuses couldn't handle the scent. Mumbling an excuse to everyone else, I flew up into the air. My nose felt like it was burning, which puzzled me, since I was hundreds of feet away from the trees.

Then I realized what it truly felt like. It felt like my powers where being used to the max, and to avoid so much pain, my body had turned the emotions into scents. The lemon scent was… happiness! In a rush, a mental catalogue appeared in my mind. I could see scents for sadness, depression, anger. What surprised me most, was that I could see smells for instincts. Like, for example, hunger smelled like steak to me. And the need for shelter was an earthy type of smell, almost like the smell of loam. I was about to explore my new power some more when I heard a mental shout from Omega.

_Get down here, there's something you need to see!_

AN- Yay! An Evil-Cliffie-of-Doom! I know, I'm so bad... not. I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to get this out today, with a new quarter of school, but I still did! Double-Yay! But just warning you, I might not be able to get chapters out as fast as normal. Oh, and did anyone expect the scent thing? Of course you didn't, but still... this surprised me so much, I'm going to need a lot of levels of Chuzzle Deluxe to regain my zen. (Don't ask...) It just came to me while I was writing, and so did the cliffie. Triple-Yay for unexpected-yet-still-really-good bursts of writer intuition!

ElvinDragon-Yah, and it's too bad the party's over... And it was some party!

aviator301-I agree, Tony never stood a chance, the poor mugger-guy.

OhMyGoshsickles- I was waiting for someone to ask that question, and you did! Do you win a prize? Unfortunately, no. I'm all out of special-double-chocolate-brownies. And yes, Mr. Fluffikins is doing really well. Quadruple-Yay for breeding like rabbits when you're not one!

Regaining my Zen, and brownies for reviewers,

White Wolf, Aqua Horse and Aurora Akira,

avikar


	11. For those who will be forgotten

Disclaimer: I'm lazy right now. Go view the other Ch. for the Disclaimer.

I pulled into a steep dive, going faster every second. At the last second possible, I avoided becoming what some call 'Flock splatter art'. I landed nearby the trees, and walked in. The flock and Omega were gathered around something at the far end of the copse. I walked over to them, and gasped in surprise at what I saw.

It was a memorial. There were three names on it. Marco, Slade, and Bubbles. The names were in a fancy writing, and the memorial itself was white marble, so it was amazing we hadn't seen it before. I walked up to the weathered stone, and started lightly tracing my finger tips over the names. With a shock, I felt extreme happiness and sadness coming from it. Puzzled, I traced the names again, only this time harder. With a jolt this time, it felt like I was sucked into something.

Had I been outside my body at the time, I would've seen myself sit down abruptly and start muttering things. I would have seen Omega walk up to me through the confused flock, and announce that I was in a trance. Max and Fang would share a glance, and I would have seen that too. And last, but not least, I would have seen the uneasy look Omega was given by the whole flock before they walked away.

But, of course, I was in my body. And seeing things that no one else could see. I watched as Marco, Slade, and Bubbles grew up in the very same copse of trees we were in, how Bubbles and Marco fell in love, and how they had been killed, brutally, by the erasers. I watched as Slade committed suicide, and how the only one who had known them, a human named Sally, made this memorial for the lost lives that would be forgotten by humans. As I exited my trance, the first thing I saw was the motto on the memorial.

For all those who will be forgotten, never forget those you love.

AN-I know, I know, it's short, but I had do it this short for the next chapter to go nicely. Kind of. But hey, at least I updated! And now: For the latest poll! Does anyone think I should do a chapter in Omega's or any of the flock's POV? If you do, tell me who you think I should do. Majority rules! Thanks!

aviator301- I think the reason at least every writer has at least one cliffie in their stories is because it's like an instinct in writers... Like how in animals it's an instinct to mate, for writers, we must write cliffies! Or something like that, anyways.

I need results for my polls, and brownies for reviewers,

White Wolf, Aqua Horse, and Aurora Akira,

avikar


	12. Being semisane and newbies

"Oh my goodness…" That was the first thing I muttered, finally out of my trance. Omega looked up from where he was sitting, and said,

"You took a long time to snap out of that trance. What did you see?" I could see the curiosity in his eyes.

"Nothing much, just the tragic tale of three people who were experiments like us." Like I expected, his eyes widened slightly at that piece of info. He whistled.

"Really? Let's go back to the flock though, before you tell us the tale that you call 'nothing much'." I laughed, a weak sound compared with my usual. He helped me up, seeing as my knees were a bit wobbly. After a few seconds, I could stand by myself without falling flat on my butt. I walked to the fire that Iggy had made, and sat down. I wasted no time in making what I saw known.

"It's amazing what a memorial can show you. Did you know that the memorial is dedicated to three experiments?" Max looked at me carefully before answering.

"Yes. Nudge can sense what has happened to something, like who has used it." I nodded, storing that juicy piece info for later speculation. I turned to Nudge.

"Isn't it sad how Slade committed suicide?" She nodded, looking up from the power bars she was demolishing.

"Yeah! But don't you think it's so cute how Bubbles and Marco fell in love? I can totally imagine what their wedding could have been. And it would have been so awesome to see Sally walk down the aisle, and I know she would be there, and Slade would follow after. Do you think that they would have a big ceremony? Probably not, since they didn't know a lot of people." That was when I tuned out. At Itex, I had heard that Nudge was a talker, but goodness gracious! Who knew she could talk so much? But luckily, talking to Nudge is easy. I just had to nod in all the right places, and she would just go on. While I was having my practically one-sided conversation with Nudge, I was simultaneously updating Omega on what I had seen. He was a bit surprised when I told him about the scent-and-memory part, but that quickly wore off. 

_Do you think I should tell the flock?_

_It's up to you._

_That doesn't help me. But I guess they'll just have to ask. _At this point, Angel looked up at me.

"What were you doing before you came down?" Everyone looked at me, and silence reigned through the camp ground. For some time, anyway. Max looked at me, and I could feel the suspicion coming off of her.

"Yeah. You weren't signaling the School, were you?" Wow, Max must be either really brave or stupid. Or both. I laughed.

"If I happened to have signaled, say about a horde of erasers, you wouldn't have been able to do anything. Besides, if I had, they would've been here by now. Those guys are fast, you gotta give em' that. Besides, you could have your smart little Angel read my mind. She was listening to my conversation with Omega though, so she already knows by now. Unless of course she only listened in at the end." I looked at Angel. She nodded.

"I did catch your thoughts at the end. What were you doing?" I grinned. Max had jumped up when I had started talking about erasers, and her suspicion was swamping me.

"Well, if Max wasn't so suspicious, I'd be able to talk." I turned to her. She frowned, but I could feel her mentally tone down her suspicion. I gave a sigh of relief.

"Thanks. You had to be really suspicious to get through my barriers, much more to swamp my senses. But anyways, as you know by now, or at least have guessed, I can sense emotions." I relished in their surprise. It was nice to, once in a while, be surprising.

"At the School, they called me Experiment Empathy, as you saw earlier. Course, my real name isn't that. Before I was kidnapped, my name had been Tanya Watson. But, at the School, I became Experiment Empathy. I'd like it if you just called me Em. Well, long story short, they gave me wings, the ability to sense emotions, and gave me Omega as a partner." 

"How do we know for sure that Omega or you aren't going to betray us?" That was Gazzy. He was scared, but was being brave. I liked that.

"You can't. You just have to hope that Omega has enough control to resist the Director, and that I'm being sincere. Just like the both of us have to hope that you're not going to stab a knife in our back while we're asleep." Angel and Nudge looked horrified that we would ever think that they would do that. The older kids were nodding, and Gazzy was putting up a brave face.

"Hey, didn't you say that the School had captured you?" Iggy asked. I looked at him. He was looking right back, and I saw emotion open on his face.

"Yeah. They captured me a year ago, and started their sick experiments. You're looking at an experiment besides Ari who had been experimented on after birth. Lucky me." They looked horrified. I laughed, but it wasn't happy like the others. This was bitter and burdened.

"It's true. They had Tony catch her. It turns out that when you have someone who's going to be an Empath, you need to experiment on them after birth." Omega was stared at. It was the first time he had talked during this conversation, and he had startled them. I gave another grim laugh.

"And you want to know how they know that? Before me, there were at least six other Empaths. All of them either went crazy or never survived past the first week. So guess what? You're looking at the first semi-sane Empath." I felt guilty scaring the younger ones, but they asked for it.

"Semi-sane? So your not completely sane?" Fang asked.

"Course. If I was sane, I wouldn't have to deal with all this. So for future reference, there might be periods of time where I go crazy. Sorry for scaring you, but I'm too tired to hold anything back. Night." I started to get up, but was held back by Gazzy. He was still afraid, but I could feel curiosity also. 

"So what were you doing before coming down?" I grinned.

"This place smells like lemons and rancid garbage to me. But the air above isn't any better." With that, I walked over to the tallest tree, and jumped on to the lowest branch. Which, consequentially was 30 feet above the ground. Yay for mutant abilities! Omega joined me. He was worried. I never liked reliving what the School did to me.

_Are you okay? _He obviously didn't want the flock to hear. But he couldn't help it if Angel was hearing this and telling Max.

_As okay as Mr. Fluffikins and his family will be the day you feed them cheese. _I heard him chuckle in his mind. His face on the outside was stony, though.

_I see you're not giving up on that joke._

_Of course not! It's too funny. I give that joke up the day I'm done obsessing with cheese. Mmmmm….. provolone cheese…. _Omega grinned. He had told me one day when I was obsessing with cheese that I was obsessed with cheese because of the Empath Shot. I pretty much believe him.

_I'll take first watch. _I looked at him in surprise.

_You still don't trust them?_

_Of course not. Just as they probably don't trust us. _I frowned.

_You just don't trust them because they're the flock. The flock that caused the Fall of Itex, and showed that you weren't a perfect Wonder Boy._

_Maybe. Maybe not. I can't tell anymore. My mind's in a jumble. The bigger part wants to kill them right now, and the other part is telling me to trust them, because they're fellow experiments and Max didn't kill me at the Fall of Itex. Both parts trust you though, so that's probably why I don't have their blood on my hands._ I looked down when I heard the gasp. Angel was looking at Omega with fear.

"There is a reason why you shouldn't read all minds. Sometimes people don't think good things. But you know that, don't you. Just don't worry. I trust you guys right now, and you heard Omega think that both parts of his mind trust me. So sleep well, Angel." Angel walked back to the fire, constantly looking behind her shoulder at Omega. I felt sorry that an eight-year-old had to be worried about getting killed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I was greeted by the smell of smoke in the morning. Bolting awake, I grunted as I fell on the ground. I looked up to see everyone laughing at me, including Omega. Scowling, I got up.

"Just wait till that happens to you!" I grabbed some power bars from Max, and tore into them. I had had a nightmare last night. I had been in a forest, and it had been on fire. Ahkrah, Tony, and the Director had been fighting me, and winning. When I had finally given up hope of winning, the Director had pulled me up, and pushed me into the fire. That was when I had woken up. The smell of smoke in my nostrils had made me think that it had really happened for a second. But I knew that it couldn't be true, because Tony was dead and from what I knew, the Director wasn't an experiment. 

I was able to scarf down four power bars before I was satisfied. Omega had only two power bars. When everyone finished, it was time to go. The little ones went first. Then Iggy, Fang, Omega and I, and then Max. I looked at the grove as it turned into a small speck, finally disappearing completely. I felt a strange sense of euphoria watching it go. To burn off the feeling, I started doing loop-de-loops, barrel rolls, and dives. 

Of course, my happiness didn't last. It never does. I felt a sudden burst of feelings. My head was pounding, and my nostrils were wide open. I smelled and felt many emotions, mainly anger and blood-lust. I swore. Looking behind us, I was correct in seeing a batch of probably new erasers. The newbie erasers were the worst, they had no control over their inner-wolf and would keep on morphing between states at Itex. These erasers were still newbies, but obviously had little trouble controlling their morphing. Taking a brief second to tell Omega what I was doing, I did a U-turn. 

"Hey! Time for some practice, ya newbies!" They bristled, and I grinned. Not slowing down at all, I collided into the closest eraser. The collision was enough to stun me for a few seconds, but the eraser fell from the sky in shock. I punched another eraser in the snout and then slammed it's wings together. Another eraser fell to the Almighty Empathy! 

I grunted as I got punched in the gut. I slammed my hands over the ears of the eraser who did me the courtesy of bringing me back down to Earth… or well, back down to the sky. Screaming, it spiraled to the ground.

"Why are you so stupid Em! We're a team!" I snorted as Omega flew next to me. 

"You're just jealous that I got here first. No talk now, time to kick some newbie butt." With that, I dove back into the mass of erasers.

Soon after that, the flock joined us. The erasers stood no chance, the poor mongrels. As I was about to finish an eraser though, I heard a whisper.

"Poor little Experiment Empathy. I wonder what it's like to have your enemies resurrected." Turning around slowly after I finished the eraser off, I expected the worst.

And I got it. 

AN-I feel like a hypocrite... I never meant to leave you guys for so long and not update, but my muse (who would like to remain unnamed) decided to go on vacation. So when I sat down to write, all that came out was stupid stuff like last chapter... bangs head on wall. Also, I keep on hearing stuff about how your story can get deleted if you answer reviews in the story, is that true? If it is, I'll only answer anonymous reviews on here, and if it isn't... well, I might just do that anyway.

aviator301- Congratulations for being the only one to guess about the trance thing! Cookie for you. And, honestly, that's probably the most stupid thing I've ever done in a fanfic.

unknown-Sorry, but my muse seems to like morbid stuff and hates action, which is _really_ ticking me off... And about the cats, lets just say we haven't seen the last of them...

cratermaker-Don't you just love Lonely Man cats? They're the complete opposite of Lonely Grandma cats. They kicketh major booty! 

OhMyGoshsickels- I am truly trying to write in Max style, but it's so hard... I think I'm too used to writing with OCs.They're much more fun to write with, since you can completely control them. _But, _I just _might_ write a flashback chapter. (hint hint wink wink)


	13. Mr Kenny Mc Kent

How many times must my enemies come back from the dead? That's what I was thinking as I saw Itex's latest mistake. It was Tony, back from the dead.. Honestly, he hadn't been dead for a day and here he was, looking like he had never been mobbed by cats. Seeing my un-believing face, he laughed.

"Not expectin' to see me, babe? I can understand." 

"Hey Tony. Any good cat mobs that I should know about?" Tony frowned.

"Babe, you're gonna be sorry for that." I gave out a fake shriek, clutching my chest comically.

"Oh no! The Big Bad Wolf's coming to get me! You couldn't even hit yourself in midair, you big dolt." I laughed as I avoided Tony's lunge. I had an advantage up here in the sky. Swooping in, I punched him in the gut. He keeled over, but not before giving me a good leftie to the eye. Seeing my chance, I slapped his wings together. With a yelp, he was plummeting to the ground. I looked around, and realized the battle was won. The last eraser had just been finished off, and everyone was already starting to fly away. I was about to catch up with them when I saw something that caught my attention.

_Omega, tell the flock I'll be back in a while. I'm checking something out._

_Be safe. We don't need you getting captured by Itex._ I gave an indignant snort.

_Honestly, you sound like you think I can't take care of myself. Besides, I'll be fine._

I dived. Pulling out of it at the last second, I looked at what I had found. It looked like a big… pyramid that had a bowl precariously perched on it. Made of what looked to be steel, the thing went up to my waist. Curios now, I searched the grounds for anything else besides the pyramid. For what, I don't know. But I did find something. It was a huge -prepare for it- steel ball! If you guessed what it was, you get a cookie! I looked from the ball to the pyramid and back again, over and over until I finally caught on. It was a game. You just had to throw the ball into the ball and… something would happen. I cursed my curiosity as I prepared to throw the surprisingly light sphere. I did, and it landed in the bowl. I stared at it until-

POV-Omega's

I was flying along, minding my own business when out of literally _nowhere_ a blast of power knocked me out of the sky, along with the flock. Snapping out my wings, I gained my balance in the air again. Looking down, I realized that Em was still gone. Oh no! What if she had gotten hurt! 

I checked my link with Em. I swore in five different languages as I found that it was gone. Completely gone. That link was probably the only thing that had kept me from going into Cold Omega state. I never wanted to go into that state again, now that I knew what freedom was like. Em, unknowing of it, had been sending me the ability to feel emotions. Telling Angel where I was going, I headed of through the air. Sweeping the ground with my gaze, I finally saw it. It was a large area, all of the trees and shrubbery blown away completely. Just as I was getting near to the blast zone, of all things to happen to me, I got caught in a storm. _Another_ thing that just came out of nowhere.

My wings now soaked, I gave up hope of getting there now. But instead of going to the flock, I coasted off in the opposite direction, starting to land. If I went into Cold Omega, I would immediately kill the flock. Because Cold Omega follows Itex's orders, and I was ordered to kill them. Sucks for them.

POV-Empathy's

I woke feeling… funny. I opened my eyes to see the sky. Oh so pretty blue. I sat up and winced slightly. I got up before I looked at the scenery.

I gaped in surprise. All of the trees around me were blasted away, stumps sticking up in the air, for a five mile radius. Wow. I looked at the little pyramid and saw to my surprise that it was glowing a bright red. Okay, can we say weird? 

_Hmm… You are a curios person, Empathy. _My head whipped around trying to find the voice, before deciding it was in my head.

_You are right, I am in your head. And it is quite large, I might add. _

_Testing, testing, testing one two three? I think I have finally gone insane. Or I'm dead. If I'm dead, this is a sucky afterlife._

_Ha-ha. No, you're not insane, and you're not dead. Otherwise I would be right in front of you._

_I hear dead people? _

_I'm not exactly dead. And you'd do well to move out of the clearing, since the erasers are coming back. _I looked up to see a faint sign of a helicopter on the horizon. I jogged to the nearest forest side and sat down behind a tree.

_If you're not dead, are you a ghost?_

_Something like that. _

_Care to elaborate?_

_No thank you. I just got in here and I'll probably be spending the next few days organizing your thoughts. They're so messy. _

_Hey! I take offense to that! And who was the wise guy who told you I wouldn't mind you living in my head?_

_No one._

_Than why are you in my freakin' head!_

_I invited myself._

_It's rude to invite yourself into private things._

_Hey, you were the one who technically invited me in, all right? After all, you played the Game right._

_The thing with the pyramid and the ball? That was easy to figure out._

_No, actually it was not. I remember one young lad who tried to do it, the poor guy actually _touched_ the pyramid. He was blown to smithereens._

_Ouch. So you're saying I was the only one smart enough to figure it out?_

_Actually, no. I remember one other person who was able to do it, but he couldn't stand me in his head, so he went crazy. I was forced back into the Pyraball._

_Alright…. Bob._

_What's with the Bob?_

_I simply like the name Bob. Got a problem with that?_

_Yes. I would prefer it if you would call me Kent._

_Okay, I might. Could you tell me why exactly why you are in my head?_

_You know the flock's leader, Max?_

_Of course._

_And you know how she has a voice in her head that helps her out, occasionally?_

_Yes, but I thought that was gone. _

_It wasn't. The voice's link just wasn't used. I am like the voice._

_So you're my own personal fortune-cookie giver?_

_Kind of. I met the person who was Max's voice once, and it was easy to tell we were different. For one, I am not offended by your jokes. Another being I don't like fortune cookies. Yet another is that I won't give you brain attacks._

_That is a definite good. Anything else I should know Mr. Kenny Mc Kent?_

_I said Kent, not Mr. Kenny Mc Kent! _

_I know that. Now answer the question._

_Nothing else, except for the fact that you need to find Omega. He's slowly going into Cold Omega._

_WHAT! _I immediately jumped up. This was definitely not good. The last time he was in Cold Omega, Omega took out a whole division of erasers with his bare hands. And that's freakin' 200 erasers!

I got into the air quickly. So far I saw nothing, and I didn't know how long I would have. I couldn't feel our link anymore, so I couldn't contact him. I sighed. Fate just seemed to hate me.

An- I blame the pyramid thing on the influence of the book _Abarat_... 

P.S. For those of you who have actually looked at my story, The Woes of an Eraser, do you think I should delete it? I'm getting nowhere farther on it, and it's just taking up time and space in my life. Also, to all reviewers, I need help! I have an idea for where this fic is going, but my imagination is starting to dry out. I would greatly appreciate any ideas. 

Buchworm13-Thank you! I always love it when people complement my writing style, besides the fact that I think it sucks...

OhMyGoshsickles- Thank you for both the review and setting my fears to rest!


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